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Aaron was about to look for traces of Queen Mystic, Bernadette, when he suddenly saw green pea vines dangling from high above, intertwining to form a lush, dense forest.
Looking up, the "forest" had no visible top, and the vines formed different paths, some intertwining, some spiraling, extending all the way into the sky.
Knowing that the owner of this place had already sensed his arrival, Aaron casually found a small path made of pea vines, suspended in mid-air, and arrived at the open room on the castle's top, which offered the best view.
The tall Queen Mystic stood behind the railing, wearing a white Intis-style shirt and a dark black jacket, with a thin rapier at her waist. Apart from not wearing a tricorn hat, she was dressed as a standard sea captain.
Her chestnut hair fell naturally, and her gaze, which had been fixed on the layers of incoming waves, retracted. Her deep blue eyes looked over, and the pea vines that had been coiling behind Aaron, as if weaving a stairway to heaven, fell back down and retracted into the earth.
A soft voice, tinged with a hint of surprise, sounded: "Congratulations on your successful advancement!"
As Roselle's daughter, Bernadette had been dealing with forces coveting Roselle's remaining treasures before establishing Oravi Island. Decades ago, she even clashed with Prince Grove of Loen, who was also a Chaos Hunter.
And the Clairvoyant's intuition told her that this newly advanced duke was far more dangerous than Prince Grove had been at the time.
Watching the fairy-tale-like vine staircase disappear, Aaron spoke with interest:
"I've always been curious why you always like to use pea vines? You must have quite a variety of Mystical Reenactment you've mastered, right?"
Bernadette was momentarily stunned. She had considered many possibilities but never thought he would ask this question. Her expression flickered, and she turned and returned to the room.
As she stepped, an illusory, ancient mirror appeared before her. Aaron's perception told him it was more akin to a teleportation to a fixed location.
Following Bernadette into the mirror, Aaron found himself in what seemed to be a library. Before him were clean floor-to-ceiling windows, neatly arranged long tables and chairs, and bookshelves filled with books.
"Spirituality of Life," "Book of Curses," "Roselle's Notes"...
Aaron silently withdrew his gaze from the bookshelves and saw Bernadette arrive at the deepest part of the library. This area was more like an exhibition hall, filled with picture books, stacks of textbooks, and dresses.
Aaron also saw neatly stacked building blocks and the true game of Xiangqi, which only a few people in this world knew how to play!
A clear voice carried a hint of inexplicable emotion:
"I really like sitting on the vines, reading the fairy tales he personally wrote for me."
"He also once said something to me that I still don't understand to this day."
Putting down the picture book in her hand, Bernadette turned her head, her blue eyes looking at Aaron:
"One day, if you fall into an unfamiliar world or cannot return to the past, the fairy tales of the past might become an 'anchor' to preserve your beliefs and hopes."
She said no more, just quietly looked at Aaron, as if waiting for something.
Although Bernadette used the more personal pronoun "he" rather than the divine "He," Aaron knew she was referring to Roselle.
Aaron thought for a moment, then picked up a picture book, looking at the somewhat familiar handwriting on it, and asked with a smile:
"Do you know the activation incantation for that Black Emperor card?"
Queen Mystic was silent for a few seconds, then shook her head.
Aaron put down the picture book in his hand, looked into her eyes, and the corner of his mouth curved upwards:
"Bernadette!"
The entire library was so quiet that it seemed as if there was no sound of breathing. Queen Mystic's lips moved, then closed again.
Her blue eyes briefly lost focus, then quickly regained their depth.
Looking at the silent Bernadette, Aaron continued:
"Not every Blasphemy Slate has an activation incantation. After all, Roselle originally hoped that these cards, containing the mysteries of godhood, would cause chaos."
"And those Blasphemy Cards that truly had activation incantations set were the ones Roselle valued, such as 'Black Emperor,' 'Paragon,' and perhaps even the 'Hermit' card in your hand."
This was not Aaron's probing. After all, how could a Blasphemy Slate that was anti-divination and anti-prophecy even for gods, and required an activation password, be discovered by anyone?
Except for the Black Emperor card, which Roselle whimsically turned into a bookmark, most other Blasphemy Cards should be in an activated state, capable of attracting High-Sequence existences of the same Pathway. This way, the goal of spreading secrets and disrupting the world could be achieved. Otherwise, without Roselle's direct indication, it would be impossible for anyone to find them and figure out the activation incantations.
Bernadette did not deny Aaron's words, her voice tinged with a hint of anticipation:
"You, or the one behind you, also believe that he ultimately achieved the Black Emperor through a cross-Pathway advancement?"
Without directly answering the question, Aaron walked back to the bookshelf and said meaningfully:
"When you achieve Angel status and are qualified to know deeper secrets, all the doubts in your heart will be answered."
-----------------
Backlund, Cherwood Borough, Minsk Street No. 15.
Klein had ruled out the Northern Borough, where the Church of the Evernight Goddess Backlund Diocese Headquarters, "Saint Samuel Cathedral," was located, as well as the Empress Borough and Western Borough, which had the best public security and strictest supervision. He finally rented this place for 18 Soles a week.
This was thanks to Mr. Hanged Man, who had deposited 300 gold pounds into an anonymous account at the Backlund Bank, saving Mr. Fool from the predicament of sleeping on the streets—the gold pounds he had saved previously were all kept in the "Traveler's Badge."
Although he was back to square one financially, at least the money stayed within the family. Plus, the large sum of pension money the church subsidized after his "sacrifice" was enough to cover Melissa's expenses before she reached mid-sequence.
He lit the coal, and a warm wave of air rushed towards him, dispelling the cold air of Backlund. Klein stretched his body and sat on the sofa, picking up a newspaper.
"Duke Negan was assassinated by Qilangos? Wait, this date..."
As soon as Klein unfolded the newspaper from a few days ago, his eyes widened. For some reason, he suddenly remembered the letter he had written to Mr. Azik earlier.
This... After that important figure was assassinated, High-Sequence powerhouses from the Church of the Lord of Storms and the Royal Family must have arrived. To be able to escape successfully under such circumstances, Mr. Azik is probably my biggest backer in Backlund going forward.
Exhaling lightly, Klein suppressed the surging thoughts in his mind. After a full day of running around, even as a Clown, he felt tired. After washing up, he lay down on the bed.
Fragments, sometimes continuous, sometimes fragmented, floated by. Klein suddenly became lucid, realizing he was dreaming.
A force has invaded my dream... Klein maintained his previously hazy state, casually observing his surroundings.
He found himself floating above a dark body of water, with several figures not far away. Just then, Klein saw the surface of the river ripple with light, quickly outlining a line of white words:
"Great Master, your loyal servant Arrodes has finally awaited your presence. Please allow me to report to you."
Why is it you again, mirror...? Klein's mouth slightly agape, for a moment he couldn't speak.
But in an instant, Klein skillfully switched to The Fool's state of looking down on everything, profound and unfathomable, and nodded gently:
"Well done."
As his voice fell, the river before him surged, and the white words wriggled and changed, reforming:
"The following is the account recorded by your loyal servant Arrodes."
Church of the Lord of Storms Backlund Diocese, Archbishop Snake.... Klein looked at a figure on the edge of the screen wearing a black robe embroidered with the symbol of a storm. Arrodes thoughtfully added a white word annotation next to it.
Watching Qilangos die in an extremely bizarre manner, the first thought that came to Klein's mind was:
"Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos' bounty is a total of 30,000 gold pounds...."
Driving away the strange thought in his mind, Klein was 90% sure that Mr. Azik had done it. The surrounding scene rapidly shrank, becoming the background.
An illusory, ancient, bizarre silver mirror appeared in mid-air, with faint light flickering from the black, eye-like gems on its sides.
White words quickly outlined themselves on the mirror:
"Your loyal servant Arrodes has finished his report, Great Master, could you please stay with me a little longer?"
Facing this overly enthusiastic fellow, Klein instinctively felt some wariness and discomfort, but after thinking for a moment, he nodded gently:
"Alright, I've just arrived in Backlund, so I'd like to know about some relatively safe underground trade markets."
Light flickered on the silver mirror, and the white text changed:
"Backlund Bridge area, Iron Gate Street, 'Braveheart Bar'!"
Klein silently noted down the address. Although he didn't have much gold pounds now, he fortunately knew many low-Sequence potion formulas, which should help alleviate his financial crisis.
"Great Master, I sense a scene that might interest you. Would you be willing to view it?"
Klein, who was secretly planning to visit Braveheart Bar tomorrow to inquire about the situation, immediately looked up. Curious, he did not refuse.
The illusory silver mirror dissipated again, transforming into a chaotic scene. By a table filled with various instruments, illuminated by candlelight, a young girl held a bottle of light silver liquid and, without hesitation, drank it all.
Melissa... Klein's pupils slightly dilated, already guessing this was her advancement to Sequence 9 Savant. He stared intently at the screen until Melissa reopened her eyes, then he breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the dissipating scene, Klein thought for a moment and calmly said:
"Unless it's a particularly urgent situation, I don't wish for others to invade my dreams casually."
As if sensing Klein's displeasure, a large amount of text immediately appeared on the silver mirror:
"Great Master, the range of my power can only be maintained within the Backlund area. Previously, if I wished to contact you in Tingen, I would need to use a special medium, and dreams allow me to extend the time I can serve you to the greatest extent."
"After this, as long as you are still in Backlund, you can draw this symbol on the mirror with blood imbued with spirituality, and I will respond to your call."
Silently noting the symbol that appeared on the mirror, Klein maintained The Fool's tone and spoke in a low voice:
"Very good, you may return."
"Yes, Great Existence above the Spirit World." After Arrodes displayed this line of words, the surrounding scene completely shattered.
Klein then detached from the dream, recalling the few scenes Arrodes had just presented, and deliberated whether to write another letter to Mr. Azik now.
"If the high-level power in the death domain that Arrodes showed was indeed done by Mr. Azik, he must now be pursued by the Church and the official forces of the Kingdom. Even the faction that sent Qilangos to assassinate Duke Negan is secretly hunting him."
"If I write a letter now, I might not get Mr. Azik's help, and it could easily backfire on me..."
Just as Klein was feeling conflicted, the Clown's spiritual perception subtly stirred. Hearing some movement, he instinctively looked over and, with the crimson moonlight from outside the window, met a pair of blood-red eyes.
When did... Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. Klein almost instantly prepared for battle.
Seeing Klein's somewhat excessive reaction and unusual agility, a young man with black hair, red eyes, and hair combed back diagonally stepped out of the Darkness. There was undisguised arrogance in his brows.
He looked at Klein, who was on full alert and ready to strike at any moment, and spread his hands somewhat awkwardly, indicating that he had no ill intent.
Using the crimson moonlight, Klein saw that this young man, who could trigger his spiritual perception and was clearly also a Beyonder, was clutching an ancient-looking, brass-colored key.
What is this? Klein, with this question flashing through his mind, instinctively looked up and saw a smear of crimson at the young man's mouth. As a former Nighthawk, Klein could confirm it was human blood.
Seeing Klein instantly become even more wary, Emlyn White seemed to think of something, coughed dryly, wiped the blood from his mouth with his right hand, and explained:
"Don't misunderstand. Although you might not believe it, I truly got lost. I apologize for disturbing your rest."
"Well, consider this item my apology. It's quite useful, even for Beyonders."
Emlyn White said, throwing out a bottle of potion contained in a glass tube. Klein warily dodged, allowing the potion to fall onto the bed.
Shrugging indifferently, knowing the other party was also a Beyonder, Emlyn White was no longer worried that the other party would call the police. After apologizing for trespassing, he raised the brass-colored key in his hand, and a light blue glowing door immediately appeared on the wall.
Under Klein's astonished gaze, this strange person who had trespassed into his home in the middle of the night simply walked through the wall and left.
Question marks floated in his mind. Klein cautiously checked the wall, and after confirming there were no issues, he returned to the bed. A divination confirmed that the liquid in the bottle was indeed a potion that helped restore spirituality. He fell silent for a moment, unsure of what exactly had happened tonight.
This is only my first day in Backlund... Klein frowned, suddenly feeling an urge to summon Arrodes back.
-----------------
"How unlucky! Why isn't that guy sleeping in the middle of the night?"
"I just went to the hospital for some blood because I was craving it, got lost on the way back, and then got seen by someone. Is this key cursed or something?"
Emlyn White muttered to himself. When he passed through another light door and looked up, ready to get his bearings, his legs suddenly stiffened.
Before him stood a golden church. Although small, it had a rather prominent spire and the Holy Emblem of Life engraved on its outer wall—a simple outline of a baby surrounded by symbols like wheat ears, flowers, and springs. This was distinctly different from the surrounding buildings.
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